Albert c



A. C. SAVIDGE.

STARTING CONNECTION FOR AUTOMOBILE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-20, I914- Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

IIINI I W/ TNESSES "n r orribu.

Specification of Letters Patent.

stamina CONNECTION r03- AUTOMOBILE-ENGINES.

Fatented Aug. 29, 19116.

Application filed August 20, 1914. Serial No. 857,640.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT C. SAVIDGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and comparatively great; and the torque required also varies during the entire starting operation, until the automobile engine is op-. erating under its own power if the machine to be started is such an automobile engine. If the starting is obtained by power, as by a fluid-pressure motor, the starting torque produced also varies, both in accordance with the position in which it is at rest previous to starting and at .various points in its movement. In consequence, in order that the minimum torque produced by the starting motor shall always exceed the maximum torque required by the engine or other machine'to be started, either the pressure must be admitted to the starting motor through longer periods than is desirable in order to obtain the benefit of gasexpansion, or else the starting motor must be made of unreasonably large capacity. Eitherof these expedients is uneconomical.

It is the object of my present invention to reduce the capacity such motors are required to have, and to render it possible to obtain practically the full benefit of gas expansion in the starting motor; and also to provide means whereby a starting motor of any kind may accumulate a torque for starting the required machine.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a resilient connection between the starting motor and the engine or other machine to be started, which connection permits the starting motor to get into operation before the torque required for starting the engine is transmitted to the latter; and include in this connection an automatic clutch whichautomatically releases itself as soon as the.-

engine tobe started is operating under its own power. In some of its aspects, my invention is applicable to machines to be started and starting motors of any kind, but

in others it is particularly adapted for internal combustion engines and starting motors operated by fluid pressure.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 is a sectional view through a connecting device embodying my invention, showing fragments of the associated starting motor and automobile engine; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view showing a modified form of the connection; and Fig. 4: is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

The automobile engine 10 may have any number of cylinders 11 the pistons of which are connected in the usual way to the engine crank shaft 12; and requires a variable start- .ing torque, according to its position at rest.

The starting motor 15- is here shown as a multi-cylinder, fluid-pressure motor having a plurality of pistons 16 connected at proper angularly distributed points to the crank shaft '17 there may be any number of cylinders for this starting motor, but preferably there should be at least three in order to obtain a suitable overlapping of strokes, as hereinafter pointed out. The starting motor 15 may be located in any desired position with relation to the automobile engine 10, either with alined shafts as shown in Fig. 1 or with parallel shafts as shown in Fig. 3. The starting motor produces a variable starting torque, according to its position.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, with the shafts '12 and 17 in alinement, the adjacent ends of said two shafts project into and have suitable hearings in a stationary casing 20, which may be built as a unit with the stationary casing 20. Within the frame the starting motor '15. Within the casing 23 is an annulus 25, also mounted for rotation about the common axis of the shafts 12 and 17 .One or more flanges 26 project inward from the frame 23 toward the annulus 25, and one or more flanges 27 project outward from the annulus 25 toward the frame 23, as is clear from Fig. 2; as shown, there each flange 26 and the adjacent flange 27 in a counter-clockwise direction (Fig. 2), in Which direction the starting motor is assumed to tend to drive the frame 23, is a coiled compression spring 28, which is a driving spring; while between each flange 26 and the adjacent flange 27 in a clockwise direction is a shorter coiled compression spring 29, which is a buffer, spring. The annulus forms the outer member of an automatic clutch of which the inner member 30 isfixed on the end of the shaft 12 which projects into the casing 20, this clutch being any suitable form of clutch which transmits power in one direction only for a given direction of rotation. As shown, the member 30 has on its periphery a plurality of notches 31 the bottoms of which are so located with respect to the inner surface of the annulus 25 that when the latter' rotates in a counterclockwise direction (Fig. 2) rollers 32 in the notches 31 are clamped between th bottoms of such notches and the inside surface of such annulus to transmit power from the annulus to the member 30, while when the member 30 rotates Within the member 25 in a counter- I 15 continues clockwise direction relative thereto (Fig. 2}

' 30 the rollers move to the deepest parts of the notches 31 to release the connection between the member 30 and the annulus 25.

In operation, when it is desired to startthe engine lO, fluid pressure is suitably admitted to the cylinders of the starting motor Y15, and the latter operates to drive the shaft 17, and through the planetary gearing to drive the frame 23 in a counterclockwise direction (Fig. 2), as indicated by the arrow, and 'in the early part of this motion the shaft 12 remains stationary and the springs 28 are compressed between the flanges 26 and 27 therollers 32, however, being firmly clamped between the annulus 25 and the member 30. This permits the starting motor 15 to gain somewhat in speed, and per mits several successive pistons 16 to be acted upon bythe fluid pressure and the motorto pass through at least one maximum torque position, before the springs 28 are sufliciently compressed to start the shaft 12; but eventually the springs 28 are compressed sufliciently-so that suflicient power to start the shaft 12; is transmitted thereto. After having once started the shaft 12, the motor begins to operate under its own power,

whereupon the member 30 exceeds the annulus 25 in speed and the clutch rollers 32.

are released to allow the engine 10 to proceed independently of the motor 15. Thereupon the supply of fluid pressure to the motor 15 may bediscontinued. The springs 29 act as buffers to prevent the violent strik-' ing of-the flanges 26 and 27 by the expanreduction. '1

to drive it until the engine 10 sion of the springs 28 when the engine 10 begins to operate under its own power.

By reason of the action of the springs 28, the size of the starting motorv 15 may be much less than would otherwise be the case, as several pistons 16 may act cumulatively on the shaft 12 to set the latter in 'motion and the torque produced by the motor may at times be less than that required for moving the engine; and the expansive force of the fluid pressure'may be taken advantage of by suitably cutting off the supply of such fluid pressure to any cylinder as soon as the next cylinder to act has started on its power stroke.

p In the modification shown in Fig. 3, the shaft 17 of the starting motor 15 has fixed thereon an annulus 40 which is located within a frame 41 fixed on a shaft 42. The frame 41 has a series of concentric grooves 43 in which are located driving springs 28 and buffer springs 29', the ends. of such springs 28' and 29 bearing against flanges 26' and 27 projecting from the annulus 40 and the frame 41, respectively, into the grooves 43 so that they overlap. The shaft 42 is connected to the engine shaft 12 through any suitable gearing, such as the sprocket Wheels which gearing provides any desired speed he sprocket 45 is mounted on the shaft 12 by means of a clutch 47 of the 44 and 45 and the chain 46,

same character as the clutch 25-3032 shown in Fig. 2.

The modification shown in Fig. 3 operates substantially like that shown in Fig. 1, the starting motor 15 when first started compressing the springs 28 between the flanges 26 and 27 and eventually producing enough compression in such springs to start the shaft 42 and through-it and the sprockets 44 and 45, the chain 46, and the clutch 47 also startin such latter shaft.

The drawings illustrate two arrangements of the resilient connection and the clutch, but neither of these arrangements is essential, as it is only necessary that the resilient device and the clutch each be somewhere in the connection between the starting motor and the engine. Either the resilient device or the clutch may be nearer the starting motor, though I now prefer to have the clutch as close to the edge of the shaft 12 as possible, so that when-the engine is in normal operation a minimum number of parts of the connection will be in operation. The particular form of reduction gearing is not essential. Moreover, except as specified in .the claims, my invention is not limited to fluid pressure starting motors'for starting or to engines as the machines to be started.-

a starting motor therefor, said motor being a fluid-pressure motor having a plurality of pistons and cylinders with the power strokes of the various pistons overlapping, and a connection between said starting motor and said engine which connection includes a v resilient member which may be distorted to permit the startin motor to start before the engine by a su cient amount so that a plurality of pistons may have operated before the engine has started and also including a clutch which acts only to transmit power from the starting motor to the engine.

2. In combination, an engine to be started, a starting motor therefor, and a connection between said starting motor and said engine which connection includes a resilient member which may be distorted to permit the starting motor to start before the engine and also including a clutch which acts only to transmit power from the starting motor to the engine, said starting motor in its movement having separated points of power application and said resilient member having sufficient capacity for distortion to permit said starting motor to move from one such point of power application to another before requiring any movement of said engine.

3. In combination, an engine to be started, a starting motor therefor, said motor being a fluid-pressure motor which in its movement has separated points of power application, and a connection between said starting motor and said engine which connection includes a resilient member which may be distorted to permit the starting motor to start before the engine and also including a clutch which acts only to transmit power from the starting motor to the engine, said resilient member having sufiicient capacity for distortion to permit said starting motor to move from one such point of ower application to another before requlring any,

movement of said engine.

4C. In combination, an engine to be started,

a starting motor therefor, said motor being a fluid-pressure motor having a plurality of pistons and cylinders with the power strokes of the various pistons overlapping, and a rconnection between said starting motor and said engine which connection includes a resilient member which may be distortedto permit the starting motor to start before the engine by a sufficient amount so that a plurality of pistons have operated before the engine has started.

5. In combination, an engine to be started, a starting motor therefor, and a connection between said starting motor and said engine which connection includes a resilient member which may be distorted to permit the starting motor to start before the engine, said starting motor in its movement having separated points of power application and said resilient member having sufficient capacity i for distortion to permit said starting motor to move from one such point of power application to another before requiring any movement of said engine.

6. In combination, an engine to be started, a starting motor therefor, said motor being a fluid-pressure motor which in its movement has separated points of power application, and a connection between said starting motor and said engine which connection includes a resilient member which may be distorted to permit the starting motor to start before the engine, said resilient member having suflicient capacity for distortion to permit said starting motor to move from one such point of power application to another before requirlng any movement of said engine.

7. lfn combination, a driven mechanism with variable starting torque, a driving mechanism with variable starting torque,

the starting torque of said driven mechanism being at times in excess of that of said driving mechanism, and a resilient member interposed between said driving and driven mechanisms so that the driving mechanism shall exert through said resilient member a torque efiect sufficient to start said driven mechanism, said resilient member having sufficient capacity for distortion to permit'the driving mechanism to move from one point of maximum torque to the next without requiring any movement of said driven mechanism.

8. In combination, a machine to be started, said machine having a variable starting torque, a motor for starting said machine, said motor also having a variable torque which at times is lower than the torque required for starting said machine, and a resilient connection between said starting motor and said machine, said resilient connection having suflicient capacity for distortion to permit said motor to move from one point of maximum torque to the next without requiring any movement of said machine to be started, thus allowing the starting motor to start before being required to move such machine so that before the motor is called upon to start such machine it has developed a torque which exceeds that required for such starting.

9. In combination, a machine to be started, said machine having a variable starting torque, a motor for starting said machine, saidmotor also having a variable torque, and a resilient connection between said starting motonand said machine, said resilient connection having suflicient capacltd said motor having a variable torque which at times is lower than the torque required for' starting said machine, and a resilient connection between said starting motor and said machine, sai

mit said motor to move from one pointlo f maximum torque to the next without re-i quiring any movement of said machine to be. started, thus allowing the starting motor to start before being required to move such machine so that before the motor is called upon to start such machine it has developed a torque which exceeds that required for such starting.

11. In combination, a machine to be.

started, a motor for starting said machine,

said motor having a variable torque, and a.

d\ esilient connection hav 'ing suflicient capacity for-distortion to perstarting motor to start before being required. A,

starting motor having a plurality of pistons v and cylinders, and a connection between said starting motor and said engine to be started, said connection including a resilient member which permits between the two parts which it connects an amplitude of movement suflicient to allow the shaft of the starting motor to make that part of a complete'rotation which is an invert of the number of cylinders of the starting motor before necessitating any movement of the shaft of the engine to be started.

In-witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Indianapolis, Indiana, this eighteenth day of August, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and fourteen. v ALBERT C. SAVIDGE. Witnesses:

JOSEPHINE GASPER, GQ B. SCHLEY. 

